When Perriello first entered the race, some people were speculating that his campaign might culminate in an endorsement from Obama. But that never materialized. So Perriello used the next best thing: archive footage from 2010. Congressman Donald McEachin calls the ad “disingenuous.” But Stephen Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington says it’s a means toward an end.
“Obama remains popular in Virginia, particularly among those people who are going to vote in the Democratic primary. And so having them stand shoulder to shoulder, even if it’s a seven year old picture, series his purposes.”